link The Software Trap
You sign up for a "Free" CRM. Two months later, you hit the contact limit. Suddenly, you're paying $800/month for a glorified database that your sales team hates using.
Enterprise CRM
$12,000/yr
- close Feature Bloat
- close Slow Interface
- close Data Lock-in
The Smart Way
Google Sheets
$0/forever
- check Infinite Customization
- check Instant Speed
- check You Own The Data
link The "Zero-Inbox" Architecture
A spreadsheet is great for storing data, but terrible for alerting you. You don’t want to check the sheet every hour to see if a lead signed.
We will fix this by connecting Google Sheets to Telegram.
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The Database
Google Sheets
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The Engine
Notify Add-on
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send
The Alert
Telegram
link 1. Structure Your Pipeline
Create a new tab called “Pipeline”. You need specific columns to make this work. Simplicity is key.
| Lead Name | Deal Value | Stage | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acme Corp | $5,000 | Negotiation | 2 days ago | Sent contract v2 |
| Stark Ind | $85,000 | Closed Won | Today | Wire received |
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Data Validation
Use Data Validation (Dropdowns) for the "Stage" column. It prevents typos like "Closed-Won" vs "Closed Won" which break automation rules.
link 2. The "Champagne" Trigger
We want a notification only when money hits the bank.
- Open Extensions > Notify > Open Dashboard.
- Select Telegram (It’s faster than Slack for solo founders).
- Column: Select
Stage. - Rule: Specific Value →
Closed Won.
link 3. Crafting the Notification
This is where Notify shines. You can pull data from any column using {{Header Name}}.
💰 **NEW CLIENT SIGNED!**
Client: {{Lead Name}}
Value: **{{Deal Value}}**
_Check bank account._
Client: {{Lead Name}}
Value: **{{Deal Value}}**
_Check bank account._
Use standard Markdown. Bolding the value makes it pop on your lock screen.
Notify Bot
💰 NEW CLIENT SIGNED!
Client: Stark Ind
Value: $85,000
Check bank account.
Client: Stark Ind
Value: $85,000
Check bank account.
10:42 AM
link 4. Deploy
Click Deploy. That’s it.
You now have a system that:
- Costs $0.
- Lives in your pocket.
- Requires zero maintenance.
Stop over-engineering your sales stack. Go close deals.